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The 2011 season was not the most, well, beastly season in NFC East history. It was the first time in a full, 16-game season that no team in the division won at least 10 games, and for much of the year the talk around the division was that it wasn't what it used to be.

Buncha baloney if you ask me. Even forgetting for a second that an NFC East team won the Super Bowl, this division still does one very important thing better than any other: rush the passer. The NFC East's 181 sacks led all NFL divisions in 2011, and by quite a bit. (The AFC North, which had three playoff teams, was second with 160). The Eagles tied for the league lead with 50. The Giants tied for third with 48. The Cowboys tied for seventh with 42, and the Redskins tied for 10th with 41.

Look deeper, into the film-based, number-crunching stats from Pro Football Focus -- stats that take into account more than just sacks when evaluating the extent to which teams rushed, hassled and affected opposing quarterbacks, and the division still rules. The Eagles rank No. 1 in PFF's 2011 team rankings, the Cowboys No. 3, the Giants No. 6 and the Redskins No. 9. No division prizes this critical aspect of the game more than the NFC East does, and it shows up in the numbers.

So, as we slug our way through a slow news month in the NFC East, I thought it'd be a good idea to check in on the pass rushes of our four teams and see how they're doing -- what they've done to get better or worse, what their 2012 prospects look like from this far out and yes, how they rank against each other. You guys asked for more polls, and I promised I'd listen, so there's one right here for you to vote on. After you finish reading, of course. I'm addressing them in order of how many sacks they got in 2011, in case you're wondering how I decided. Seemed fair.

Philadelphia Eagles

Key contributors: DE Trent Cole, DE Jason Babin, DT Cullen Jenkins. PFF ranked Cole the No. 1 overall 4-3 defensive end in the league last year. Babin ranked 10th overall and third in pass rush, finishing third in the league with 18 sacks. Jenkins ranked as the No. 4 pass-rushing defensive tackle, and Derek Landri was No. 10. Defensive line coach Jim Washburn and defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, each of whom is entering his second season in his current position with the Eagles, believe the front four is responsible for the pass rush. And while they got a lot of publicity for how wide they like to line up their defensive ends, they like to get pressure from the defensive tackles as well.

Newcomer: DT Fletcher Cox. The Eagles traded up in the first round to pick Cox because they believed he could be an impact pass-rusher from one of those interior spots right away. They need to toughen up against the run, and that will have to be part of Cox's game. But what appealed to them was his ability to get to the passer. Rookie linebacker Mychal Kendricks could conceivably factor in here too, but the Eagles don't ask their linebackers to rush very much in the new scheme.

Stock watch: UP. The addition of Cox, as well as the possible return to full health of Mike Patterson and 2010 first-round pick Brandon Graham, give the Eagles incredible depth at a position at which they were already very strong in 2011. It's possible they'll rush the passer even better in 2012.

New York Giants

Key contributors: DE Jason Pierre-Paul, DE Justin Tuck, DE Osi Umenyiora, DE/LB Mathias Kiwanuka. No one's roster goes as deep as the Giants' does in terms of star-caliber defensive ends. Pierre-Paul was fourth in the league with 16.5 sacks in just his second NFL season. Umenyiora had nine in just nine games. Tuck turned it on at the end and in the playoffs, and Kiwanuka is a defensive end playing linebacker. The Giants believe a strong pass rush is their heritage and their key to being an annual contender.

Newcomer: DT Marvin Austin. The Giants didn't really bring in anyone this offseason who looks like a 2012 pass-rush contributor, but their 2011 second-round pick missed all of last season due to injury, so we'll call him a newcomer. The Giants would like to get more help from inside. Linval Joseph was their best pass-rushing defensive tackle in 2011, according to PFF's rankings. A healthy Austin could be a difference-maker.

Stock watch: DOWN. Not by much, but a little, because of the loss of reliable, underrated reserve DE Dave Tollefson. If Tuck and Umenyiora have injury problems again, or if Umenyiora holds out, they could get kind of thin at defensive end pretty quickly without Tollefson there to fill in this time. Now, this is the Giants, and they'll probably figure it out. The addition of linebacker Keith Rivers could allow them to move Kiwanuka back to end in case of injury. But it's worth pointing out that they did lose a somewhat important piece of the pass rush and didn't replace him.

Dallas Cowboys

Key contributors: LB DeMarcus Ware, LB Anthony Spencer, DE Jason Hatcher, NT Jay Ratliff. There's no one like Ware, who rang up another 19.5 sacks in 2011. That's nearly half the team total, and the conventional wisdom says he needs more help. But PFF ranked Spencer its 11th-best 3-4 outside linebacker in the pass rush and Hatcher as its eighth-best 3-4 pass-rushing defensive end. Add in Ratliff, who can generate pressure up the middle, and the Cowboys look better in this area than we tend to think.

Newcomer: DE Tyrone Crawford. Dallas' third-round pick is looked at by many as a project, but as one that can eventually help with the pass rush whether he ends up as a 3-4 end or standing up as an outside linebacker. Whether he can help in 2012 remains a question, but the Cowboys didn't see a first-round or second-round pass-rusher they liked better than Spencer, so they focused on the secondary instead and picked up some down-the-road guys for the pass rush.

Stock watch: EVEN. They're bringing back basically the same group, and while there's a theory that the improvements at defensive back will help the pass rush by giving it extra time to get sacks, we have yet to see that in action. Spencer must play with more aggressiveness if this unit is to take a step forward into the upper tier with the Eagles and Giants.

Washington Redskins

Key contributors: LB Brian Orakpo, LB Ryan Kerrigan, DE Stephen Bowen. The Redskins' pass rush is all about those young outside linebackers, and they are fearsome. But with only 16.5 sacks between them in 2011, their numbers have a ways to go to get into the big-time stratosphere we're talking about in the NFC East. PFF did rank Orakpo fifth and Kerrigan ninth among pass-rushing 3-4 OLBs in 2011, so they do a lot of things well in that area. Bowen had six sacks and DE Adam Carriker came up with 5.5.

Newcomer: DE Jarvis Jenkins. Just as we did with the Giants, we'll go with a 2011 second-round pick who missed his rookie season due to injury. Jenkins may not be a pass-rusher, but adding him to the defensive line rotation could help free up more room for the linebackers and maybe help the other linemen get to the passer more often as well.

Stock watch: EVEN. This is really all about how much and how quickly Orakpo and especially Kerrigan continue to develop as elite pass-rushers. They've both shown flashes of incredible raw ability, and they have to continue to hone their craft so they can play at the level of the other pass-rushers in their division. Ware, Cole, Pierre-Paul and the rest of these guys are setting a high bar, and the Redskins know they have to have their own pass-rush monsters if they want to hang with them year in and year out.

You e-mail questions, I answer them. Ideally, you come out of this weekly exercise informed and/or entertained. We'll see.

Scottie Baker from Berrian Springs, Mich., asks whether, if the Colts are able to sign the player they're taking with the No. 1 pick (presumably Andrew Luck) before the draft, would the Washington Redskins then be able to sign the player they want to take at No. 2 (presumably Robert Griffin III) before the draft as well.

Dan Graziano: No, Scottie, they would not. The NFL's rules stipulate that the team holding the No. 1 pick is the only team allowed to sign its draft pick in advance of the draft. So if the Colts were to do a deal with Luck, say, sometime next week, that would not give the Redskins license to negotiate a deal with Griffin. They'd have to wait until after the Colts actually formally selected Luck on April 26 to officially pick Griffin, and until then they would not be permitted to sign Griffin. I imagine this rule is in place to avoid a slippery slope that could theoretically result in everyone in the top 10 signing their picks well in advance of the draft and depriving the NFL of the pomp and pageantry of its draft night. But it is, in fact, a rule. I checked.

KD from Cleveland wants to know how the re-signing of Derek Landri will affect the Philadelphia Eagles' plans for the first round of the draft. Specifically, he wants to know if Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd
could enter the picture.

DG: Well, Floyd could enter the picture, and it will surely be tempting for the Eagles to secure another weapon for Michael Vick and the offense. But I personally don't think the Landri signing will or should affect the Eagles' first-round plans. The Eagles were one of the worst teams in the league last year defending against runs up the middle, and they can't do enough to strengthen the middle of their defensive line. A longer-term solution at defensive tackle in the first round is the best way for the Eagles to go if they can't (as it appears they won't) get Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly. I think the Eagles should be willing to move up or down a few spots to get the best bang for their buck in the first round, and I think that means drafting defense.

Alan from Arlington, Va., wants to know why the Giants couldn't pay $1.25 million to keep Dave Tollefson from signing with the Raiders.

DG: The Giants are right up against the salary cap, and in the case of Tollefson they decided they didn't want to pay more than the veteran minimum to keep him. They've decided, in the cases of several of their own free agents this year, to set a price over which they would not go and then allow the player to go see if he could get more on the open market. This is why they have lost Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham to the 49ers and why Jonathan Goff did not re-sign. They also made a decision to trade for Keith Rivers to improve their linebacker corps, and at the time of the trade he was scheduled to earn $2.16 million in 2012 (though they were working on a restructuring in the immediate wake of the deal). Figuring in the Rivers pursuit and the money they'll need to sign draft picks, the Giants had to be willing to let valued veterans like Tollefson and Jacobs go if they weren't willing to accept the exact amount the team had allotted for them. The Giants also trust in their ability to replenish positions of need from within their own roster or through the draft.

Jed from Texas has a PUNTER QUESTION!!! He wants to know why the Dallas Cowboys haven't signed Mat McBriar and if they're really going to go with Chris Jones as their punter.

DG: Well, Jed, as much as we value punting on this blog, it's not necessarily a major priority for teams in the early weeks of free agency. McBriar had some serious health questions last year, and it's perfectly understandable if the Cowboys want to make sure those are behind him before committing any real money to him. If Jones isn't the answer, then McBriar or another more acceptable option is likely to present itself some time between now and the start of the season. I think they can and will do better than Jones, and McBriar may well be the solution. But they should make sure his foot is fully healthy before making that decision.

Back next week with more mailbag fun. See ya.

Catching up on weekend news, I'm sure all of my New York Giants fans saw that the Raiders signed free-agent defensive end Dave Tollefson. The Giants liked Tollefson, and valued his contributions to two Super Bowl championship teams, but given their depth at the defensive end position, they weren't going to spend real money to keep him.

That said, this is a spot -- defensive end -- where when the Giants lose a player, they notice it. Brandon Jacobs signs elsewhere? They can figure out running back. Mario Manningham? Ah, they'll find another No. 3 receiver. But defensive end, that's the Giants' bread and butter. And they just lost one that was on the field for about 40 percent of their defensive plays in 2011. Tollefson could spell Justin Tuck or Osi Umenyiora when those guys were hurt. He could move inside and play defensive tackle in those alignments the Giants like to run where they put as many pass rushers on the field as they can. He was a valuable piece, and they will, you can be sure, do something that's directed at replacing him.

One thing Tollefson's departure means is that the Giants are far less likely now to trade Umenyiora. That likelihood already seemed to be fading, as last year's hard feelings between Umenyiora and the Giants over his contract situation have eased considerably. But now, even if they can't extend Umenyiora's contract, it's hard to imagine the Giants getting a trade offer that makes it worth losing two pieces of their pass rush in the same month.

It's possible the Giants could look for a linebacker, or an increased contribution from one or more of last year's rookie linebackers, and move Mathias Kiwanuka back to defensive end full-time. Kiwanuka played well in his hybrid role last year, but he's a pass-rusher at heart and would surely be happy to be asked to pick up whatever snaps Tollefson left behind.

And yeah, they're picking No. 32 in the draft in 17 days, and they have needs at running back and tight end and linebacker and places like that. But you know, if you follow the Giants, that if a pass rusher like Syracuse's Chandler Jones falls to them at 32, there's a very real chance they take him. As we discussed last week, there are certain bedrock facets of the Giants' team-building philosophy, and the most prominent may be their belief in the importance of the pass rush. Tollefson's departure doesn't leave them short in that key area for 2012. They still have Tuck and Umenyiora and Kiwanuka and Jason Pierre-Paul, which is a group for which a lot of other teams would kill. But it's a reminder that things can get thin quickly, and defensive end is one position at which the Giants are determined never to let that happen.

You guys see this on Twitter this morning? Jim Irsay says he passed Robert Griffin III going the other way during his morning run and waved hello, but Griffin didn't wave back. Acted like he didn't even see him. Later, he saw him in Starbucks, but Griffin pretended to be texting the whole time Irsay tried to get his attention even though it looked to Irsay like the phone wasn't even on.

Weird. I think we should spend the day pondering what this means about the first two picks in the draft. Gonna need sustenance. How about some links?

Dallas Cowboys

Jason Garrett went to Alabama's pro day last week, and now three Alabama defensive players are among the 30 players scheduled for pre-draft visits with the Cowboys. Man, if I believed anything that happened three weeks before the draft offered legitimate clues about what teams were going to do, I'd consider this a sign that the Cowboys like those Alabama guys.

Brandon Carr was a right cornerback in Kansas City but expects to play on the left side in Dallas. Not sure how much this matters. Kind of depends on which side of the field the other team assigns to its best receiver, right?

New York Giants

Speaking of Carr, Victor Cruz said he doesn't care about what Carr said the other day about keeping Cruz from salsa dancing in 2012. Cruz also says he has no plans to hold out, in spite of a comment he made earlier in the offseason about thinking he deserved more money. Cruz is one cool cat.

The Giants like Dave Tollefson and have made an effort to re-sign him. But as the interest from other teams piles up, it looks less and less likely that they'll be able to bring him back. If he leaves, that probably makes it even less likely that they trade Osi Umenyiora.

Philadelphia Eagles

I don't put any stock into the Eagles' reported interest in Ryan Tannehill, since I don't think they will draft him. I am intrigued, however, by this idea of Michael Floyd. Most projections have the Eagles going defense in the first round, but another fun passing-game weapon for Michael Vick wouldn't be a terrible idea.

Jason Peters' ankle surgery was successful, as all professional sports surgeries seem to be, but his replacement is still a mystery, as the Eagles continue efforts to plug a big new hole that opened up unexpectedly last week.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins' free-agent signing pace has slowed down since the opening week, but that has nothing to do with a lack of salary cap space. Washington still has plenty of it, in spite of their early signings and the $18 million penalty imposed by the league.

Eddie Royal says his decision to choose the Chargers over the Redskins was based in large part on the fact that the Chargers' quarterback is already an established star while the Redskins' next quarterback, whatever he becomes down the road, will of course be a rookie in 2012.

» AFC Assessments: East | West | North | South » NFC: East | West | North | South

Dallas Cowboys

Key additions: CB Brandon Carr, S Brodney Pool, QB Kyle Orton, FB Lawrence Vickers, LB Dan Connor, G Nate Livings, G Mackenzy Bernadeau

Key losses: WR Laurent Robinson, TE Martellus Bennett, FB Tony Fiammetta, CB Terence Newman, G Kyle Kosier (cut)

"You ain't a beauty, but hey, you're all right": Rather than go big for the biggest names out there, the Cowboys took a more directed, focused approach to free agency this year. They did spend a lot to bring in Carr, but they had a glaring need at cornerback and they believed Carr was the best one on the market. The two guards were specifically targeted by Cowboys' scouts and new offensive line coach Bill Callahan, and Connor was brought in to address a need at inside linebacker while 2011 draft pick Bruce Carter continues to develop.

The only loss that they didn't upgrade is that of Robinson, who signed with the Jaguars after coming out of nowhere to catch 11 touchdown passes from Tony Romo in 2011. The Cowboys will hope that one of the young receivers on their roster fills that No. 3 wide receiver role, or that they can catch lightning in a bottle again this year as they did with Robinson last year. They could miss Kosier's leadership on the offensive line, but he was getting old and injured and they needed to keep getting younger on the line.

What's next: While they'll keep an eye out for a bargain-bin receiver to replace Robinson, and they could try and find another tight end to replace Bennett, the Cowboys' main focus the rest of this offseason is likely to be on defense. They could add to the safety or cornerback mix in the draft or with another free agent. They'll keep looking to upgrade the pass rush, either with another outside linebacker or a defensive lineman. Those are the likely areas in which the Cowboys will focus their efforts in the draft.

Otherwise, it's going to be about sorting things out, especially on the offensive line. They need to find a pair of starting guards from a group that includes the two newcomers and the two youngsters -- David Arkin and Bill Nagy -- they drafted last year. Training camp should help sort out what needs to be sorted out on the offensive side of the ball. The draft will be for adding more pieces to Rob Ryan's defense.

New York Giants

Key additions: TE Martellus Bennett

Key losses: RB Brandon Jacobs, WR Mario Manningham, CB Aaron Ross, T Kareem McKenzie

"Reason to believe": The Giants don't like to make big free-agent splashes, and since they're up against the salary cap they also have little choice. But their second Super Bowl title in five years should help ease any concerns fans might have about if they're doing enough in the offseason. The Giants' way is to establish fair prices for the positions they need to fill and to be patient until they find players willing to play for their number. They'd have loved to have Jacobs or Manningham or Ross back, but not for the kind of money those guys found in free agency. They'd love to have linebacker Jonathan Goff and defensive end Dave Tollefson back, but if they get big-money deals elsewhere, the Giants will let them go too.

They targeted Bennett right away and signed him on the second day of free agency, since they saw in him a young talent at a position where they lost two players to major knee injuries in the Super Bowl. And they re-signed cornerback Terrell Thomas and punter Steve Weatherford, two of their offseason priorities. But since then, the Giants have been quiet, content that they have a good, deep, championship roster and willing to let the market come to them.

What's next: The areas of concern, if there are any for the Giants, are linebacker and offensive line. And if Goff comes back, they like what they have at linebacker with the incumbents and last year's rookies. With McKenzie leaving, they could move David Diehl from left tackle to right tackle, but they'll still need to add depth at tackle as they look to the future on the offensive line.

There remains the chance that the Giants could trade defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who was disgruntled about his contract this time last year and now only has one year to go. If they did that, they could move Mathias Kiwanuka from linebacker back to his old pass-rushing spot on the line. But the Giants would have to be really blown away by an offer to move Umenyiora, who has relaxed a great deal about his contract situation and said he'd like to stay.

Philadelphia Eagles

Key additions: LB DeMeco Ryans (trade), G Mike Gibson

Key losses: DE Juqua Parker, WR Steve Smith, QB Vince Young

"We take care of our own": The Eagles' focus so far this offseason has been internal. They extended the contracts of right tackle Todd Herremans and defensive end Trent Cole, signed wide receiver DeSean Jackson to a long-term deal and re-signed free-agent guard Evan Mathis. The Eagles believe last year's team was a good roster that underachieved, and they basically are taking a mulligan and hoping it works this time.

The one exception is a big one -- the trade that brought them Ryans from Houston in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick. The Eagles were pitifully weak at linebacker last year, and that weakness hurt their otherwise successful implementation of the "Wide 9" defensive line formation. They could get to the passer with their front four, but teams were able to attack the middle of their defense at will. The addition of Ryans, a veteran middle linebacker who was a productive tackler and beloved leader with the Texans, should help solve a lot of those problems.

What's next: There remains a strong chance the Eagles will trade cornerback Asante Samuel before or during the draft. They can afford to do so because they'd still be left with Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie as starting cornerbacks and the underrated Joselio Hanson at nickel corner. Other than that, the Eagles figure to be fairly quiet the rest of the way.

They're most likely to use their first-round pick on a defensive player, though Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, who'd be a great addition, now looks likely to be gone by the time they pick at No. 15. So they could pick up another veteran linebacker and use the draft to add to their defensive line rotation. It's also likely they add a veteran safety and a veteran running back to back up LeSean McCoy, who's next in line for a new contract.

Washington Redskins

Key additions: WR Pierre Garcon, WR Josh Morgan, CB Cedric Griffin, S Brandon Meriweather

Key losses: S O.J. Atogwe (cut), S LaRon Landry, WR Donte' Stallworth

"When the change was made uptown and the big man joined the band": The Redskins' biggest move of the offseason was the draft-picks trade they made with the Rams, sending three first-round picks and a second-round pick to St. Louis in exchange for the No. 2 pick in this year's draft. That pick ensures that Washington, which has been looking for a franchise quarterback for a couple of decades, will be in position to take one of the two quarterbacks in this year's draft that projects as a franchise guy. They're most likely getting Baylor's Robert Griffin III, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner who's got Redskins fans in a tizzy already.

The Redskins' first big moves when free agency opened were aimed at building a new offense for their rookie quarterback to run. Garcon and Morgan are, the Redskins believe, receivers with big-play talent who will fit well into the offense they like to run. The other two big additions -- Griffin and Meriwether -- were brought in to beef up the secondary, which lost its two starting safeties. It's possible Griffin could play safety, though he played cornerback in Minnesota.

What's next: The Redskins continue to try to re-sign veteran linebacker London Fletcher, and they're confident they can do that. They also want to bring back running back Tim Hightower, assuming he's recovered from his ACL injury, and they're in talks with him about doing just that. If they fail in either or both of those efforts, they'll need backup plans, as they'll lack depth at running back and inside linebacker.

Washington still could stand to add to its secondary and find help for the offensive line. Right tackle Jammal Brown has injury problems, and the team is looking for a better option. Demetrius Bell remains on the market and is a player Washington likes for that right tackle spot.

PALM BEACH, Fla. -- One more day here by the beach. As you read this, I am at the NFC coaches' breakfast listening to what Andy Reid, Jason Garrett, Tom Coughlin and Mike Shanahan have to say. I shall spend the remainder of the morning and the afternoon working feverishly to communicate back to you the items of NFC East interest from this session before my flight leaves for home this evening. They had links at the AFC coaches' breakfast Tuesday, along with bacon and some kind of cool steak eggs benedict deal. Not sure if today's spread will be the same, but you know you can always count on having links right here, every morning at 8 a.m.

Dallas Cowboys

The only thing you know for sure about the draft this time of year is that everybody's lying. Everything's a smokescreen and no one's telling you what they really think or plan. So take this with a grain of salt, even though I agree with Jerry Jones that it wouldn't be a great idea for him to take an offensive lineman in the first round after drafting three of them last year and signing two more earlier this month.

Yeah, I wish Jones would tell us what he really feels about the salary-cap penalties, too, but he's smart to keep his mouth shut until the arbitrator rules on it, and so this little crack about wanting to settle his dispute with John Mara on the field will have to do for now.

New York Giants

Coughlin's getting a contract extension, obviously. Mara told the New York Post that he expects the deal to be done within four to six weeks, and there's every reason to think the Giants coach, who's won two Super Bowl titles in the past five years, will get paid a salary similar to those of the best coaches in the league -- upward of $7 million per year. I'm thinking it ends up being a three-year deal.

Defensive end Dave Tollefson continues to draw interest on the free-agent market, now scheduled to visit the suddenly free-agent-happy Green Bay Packers. As they are with Jonathan Goff and, to some extent, Brandon Jacobs, the Giants are letting Tollefson test the market while also letting him know they'd like to have him back. If he can't find a better offer than what the Giants are willing to give him, he comes back. If not, they move on and find a replacement. It's how they roll.

Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman sure made it sound as though the team believes it can find a trade market for cornerback Asante Samuel between now and the draft. Roseman discussed that issue and several others Tuesday with Jeff McLane. One point further down in the notes: Roseman declined to say where he expected Jamar Chaney to play because the Eagles are "still in the talent acquisition phase" of the offseason. Says to me they're still looking for linebackers, even with DeMeco Ryans in the fold.

Former Andy Reid assistants Pat Shurmur and John Harbaugh, now the head coaches of the Browns and Ravens, respectively, came to the defense of their former boss -- and of defensive coordinator Juan Castillo -- in conversations with Paul Domowitch at the aforementioned AFC coaches' breakfast.

Washington Redskins

Yes, the Redskins were seriously interested in Peyton Manning when he was on the market. No, it's not clear how good their chances were of getting him. But Mike Shanahan and Kyle Shanahan met with Manning even after trading for the No. 2 pick in the draft, and it's clear that he was a serious option in their minds if they hadn't been able to move up to the spot from which they now plan to draft their next franchise quarterback.

Former Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien is at the front of the latest lawsuit by former players against the league over head injuries. These suits continue to be filed, and will continue to be filed, and if you don't think they worry the league, then think again about why the punishments against the Saints for the bounty stuff was so severe.

Wednesday wasn't the least interesting day in NFL history. I mean, if you're a fan of one of this division's teams, weren't you glad not to be a fan of the Saints or the Jets or the Jaguars? The most exciting things we had going on here were the Baylor pro day, the DeMeco Ryans news conference and Troy Aikman saying Tony Romo's better than he was. On another day, that last might have been "First Take" gold. But not in this NFL offseason, no sir. We're just hanging out in the shadows with our little NFC East storylines and nibbling on some links.

Dallas Cowboys

They did have some fun with the Aikman-Romo thing on ESPNDallas.com, but Calvin Watkins says Romo's got some climbing to do before it's a legitimate question. He prefers to compare Romo to Danny White, rather than to Aikman, who's a three-time champion and in the Hall of Fame. Calvin seems to think Romo's got some work to do just to get to White.

The Cowboys did attend Baylor's pro day, though not to see Robert Griffin III, who'll be long gone by the time they pick. The Cowboys' website looks at three Baylor players who could interest the Cowboys, including wide receiver Kendall Wright, running back Terrance Ganaway and center Phillip Blake, who's apparently got a private workout set up with the Cowboys and new offensive line coach Bill Callahan next week.

New York Giants

The Giants remain one of the league's quieter teams during free agency, which is the way they like it. But two of their own free agents are drawing interest elsewhere. Dave Tollefson is visiting the Seahawks and Jonathan Goff had a trip to Cleveland to visit the Browns. The Giants would like both players back but are content to let them test the market. My guess is they end up bringing Goff back, but that Tollefson leaves, perhaps for a chance at a larger role elsewhere.

The Giants on Wednesday mourned the passing of Ron Erhardt, who served as their offensive coordinator during the Bill Parcells Super Bowl years.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are confident that Ryans will play better in his second year back from his 2010 Achilles injury than he did in his first year back from it, Zach Berman writes. By all accounts, Ryans' play did improve as the 2011 season went on and he got healthier. If he's back to full strength, he's a tackling machine at middle linebacker, and yeah, the Eagles could use that.

For his part, Ryans said he's looking forward to returning to the 4-3 middle linebacker position he was playing prior to his injury and before the Houston Texans switched to a 3-4 defense. He says it's more natural for him and that he functions best as a player and a leader from that spot.

Washington Redskins

Rich Campbell was on hand at the Baylor pro day and writes of how Griffin dazzled observers and fired up Redskins team officials who were on hand to talk with him and watch him work out. It was a day for the Redskins and their fans to dream happily of the future.

Everybody wants to know what's going on with London Fletcher, who was deemed a top priority by the Redskins at the end of the season but has yet to re-sign. Mike Jones writes that Fletcher has a number in mind, but that he remains in limbo while he and the team wait for the free-agent linebacker market to establish what a reasonable number would be.

Sure, of course they could. The New York Giants are picking 32nd in the draft. There's no way to know who's going to be available to them at that point. A team that always drafts the best player available, is drafting in a spot where that's the only smart way to go. The Giants could draft any position in the first round and it wouldn't be a huge surprise -- though as we've discussed, offensive line, linebacker and running back are not generally positions they like to draft early.

Anyway, this came up as I was reading Ohm's report-card review of the defensive line. Even if they trade Osi Umenyiora, they'll still be deep with pass rushers. They shouldn't have a problem re-signing Dave Tollefson, and they can always move Mathias Kiwanuka back up to the line from his hybrid linebacker spot. No one in the world would be surprised to see Jerry Reese take a pass- rusher with his first-round pick, but I'd be even less surprised if the Giants went for an interior defensive lineman. Rocky Bernard is a free agent, Marvin Austin is a question mark coming off his rookie-season training camp injury and they're generally pretty young at defensive tackle.

It appears as though they could have some good options at defensive tackle at No. 32. Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock draft has players like Memphis' Dontari Poe, Penn State's Devon Still, Michigan State's Jerel Worthy and Connecticut's Kendall Reyes all going in the mid-to-high 20s, which means one or more from that group could conceivably slip into the early 30s.

I know it's not groundbreaking to write that the Giants could prioritize the defensive line in the draft. It's just not something we'd talked about. And these days on the blog, we're always looking for new stuff to talk about.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- We've talked a lot about how the New York Giants team that will play the NFC Championship Game on Sunday is a different team than the one that lost to the 49ers in San Francisco in Week 10. But the 49ers aren't the same team they were that day, either.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, San Francisco dropped back to pass on 67.3 percent of its offensive snaps in their Week 10 victory over the Giants -- the highest such percentage by the 49ers in a game all season. The main reason for that was likely the in-game injury suffered by running back Frank Gore, who finished that game with 0 yards on six carries and whose absence for most of the game changed the 49ers' intended game plan.

But the Giants insist they weren't fooled. They know the numbers. They know the 49ers' 498 rushing attempts in the regular season were the third-most in the league, behind only the Broncos and the Texans. They know the 49ers' 451 pass attempts were the second fewest in the league, ahead of only the Broncos. They know the 49ers like to run and run and run, and they expect to see a heavy dose of it.

"They're going to stick with it until you stop it," Giants defensive end Justin Tuck said Wednesday. "They repeat plays, and for good reason. If I was playing a Madden game and I loaded up the box and ran the ball on you all game, I wouldn't change it either. So it's going to be man-on-man and just making sure we get them out of that game. If we're able to do that, we stand a good chance to come out with a win. If not, it's going to be a long day in San Fran."

Giants coach Tom Coughlin left little doubt in his Wednesday news conference that he was impressed by the 49ers' ball-control numbers. He marveled that they led the league in average starting field position, in opponents' average starting field position, in turnover differential at plus-28 and in fewest turnovers. The 49ers threw five interceptions and lost five fumbles all regular season, tying an NFL record for fewest turnovers in a season with 10. In their playoff game Saturday against the Saints, they forced five turnovers and committed just one.

One way they've been able to stay away from turnovers is their reliance on the run game. And even though they didn't see much of Gore the last time, the Giants are wary of him this time around.

"That's a big part of their game plan, to get him running downhill," defensive end Dave Tollefson said. "So we have to stop that. But that's been No. 1 on our list for the last 20 weeks. You've got to stop the run. We're excited for the challenge. You want to play the best this time of year."

Gore had a string of five straight games with at least 100 yards rushing until that game against the Giants. Since then, he's played nine straight games without reaching the 100-yard mark. It's the longest such streak of his career.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Yes, it was only practice, but New York Giants guard Chris Snee admits he did a double-take when backup quarterback David Carr showed up in the huddle. Snee knew Eli Manning wasn't feeling well, but when you're used to a guy being there for every snap, every day, every year for eight, nine years... well, it's weird. And not real comfortable.

"I'm actually going to bring him some soup tomorrow," Snee said. "I'll do whatever it takes to make sure he's feeling better."

The Giants sent Manning home from practice early because he had a stomach bug. With about 50 times more media around the team than usual Wednesday because it's NFC Championship Game week, this could qualify as alarming news. But Giants coach Tom Coughlin says the team is hoping it's just a 24-hour deal, and every player who was asked about Manning's illness laughed off the idea that it could be a lingering problem.

"Are you kidding me? He's Eli Manning," defensive lineman Dave Tollefson said. "They probably have some kind of special virus-killing medicine that only Eli Manning can use. I'd be out for two weeks; he'll be good tomorrow."

Manning's scheduled news conference was canceled, also a victim of the illness, so we didn't get a chance to ask him how he was feeling. But this is a guy who never misses work, so he must have been feeling pretty rotten if he couldn't finish practice. I can't imagine it's an issue that will affect his chances of playing Sunday, but I'm sure Giants fans and Manning's teammates will feel better once he makes it through practice Thursday.

The New York Giants you see before you — a team that has made it to the divisional round of the NFC playoffs — are not the same New York Giants we watched for most of this season. Their enthusiasm and effectiveness bear little, if any, resemblance to that of the team that lost 5-of-6 games from mid-November to mid-December. What's the difference? Well, there are many. And each day this week, leading up to the playoff game Sunday in Green Bay, we'll take a look at a player or players who have helped turn these Giants from a mid-pack pretender to a Final Eight contender.

Today: DE Osi Umenyiora

The sack came right at the end of Sunday's playoff victory, with the game in hand and the Giants' defense focused only on maintaining what from its standpoint was a shutout. But it came nonetheless, as they always seem to when Umenyiora plays. It was a high-energy, hyper-athletic sack that required him to practically jump over the man who was blocking him and grab Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan up high before dragging both passer and blocker to the ground. It was not the type of sack you see other pass rushers make, and it reminded you why Umenyiora is not like other pass rushers.

Yeah, it looked as though the Giants were going to be all right without ol' Osi in the mix. Umenyiora missed four games in December with an ankle injury, but with Justin Tuck on one side and the year Jason Pierre-Paul was having on the other, you figured they could generate the edge rush they needed while Umenyiora hobbled around the training complex. But when you actually watched the Giants play without him, you could tell something was missing.

Aaron Rodgers picked them apart one week, Tony Romo the next, albeit in a Giants win. Rex Grossman didn't put up huge numbers, but he picked up every third-down conversion he needed in Week 15 as the Redskins dropped the Giants to 7-7 and into what looked like major trouble. A defense that lives off its pass rush was hurting for Umenyiora's absence. Dave Tollefson is a good, professional defensive lineman who can make a play and fits well in the Giants' scheme, but what he is not — and what Umenyiora is — is one of the best pass rushers in the world.

So when Umenyiora returned for the regular-season finale against Dallas, the whole thing looked different. The Giants were able to rotate all of their defensive ends, to play Tuck at an interior line position on third downs if they wanted to, to drop Pierre-Paul into coverage to confuse Romo, who by the way was sacked not once but twice by Umenyiora. Sunday brought more of the same, as a fully operational Giants pass rush made Ryan's day miserable and kept the Falcons' offense off the scoreboard.

"I think earlier in the year, when we were trying to find our identity and kind of struggling on defense, a lot of individual stuff was showing up," Tuck said after the game. "Now it's just all about team effort and playing together as a team."

Umenyiora's on the train. The contract dispute from last summer and the knee injury that cost him the first three games of the season have been shoved into a distant corner of his memory. Challenges await in the offseason, and there's no way to know whether the next game he plays will be his last as a Giant. Umenyiora said last week, though, that he doesn't care. He's enjoying this run. He's feeling healthy — or healthy enough, at least, to play playoff games — and most importantly for the Giants, he's making an impact. This is about more than just having all of their players back healthy. Few players make an impact the way Osi Umenyiora does.

I know, I know, you swore you'd never eat again. You're still stuffed from last night. You need to start exercising again. I feel your pain. But what can I do? I'm not going to let you start your day without your links.

Dallas Cowboys

As Art Garcia writes, the Cowboys did not play very well in the secondary Thursday, but the defense toughened up in the red zone when it needed to hold the Dolphins to field goals.

The Cowboys have 10 more days until their next game, and receiver Miles Austin and cornerback Mike Jenkins are both aiming for that Dec. 4 game in Arizona for their returns from their respective injuries.

New York Giants

More problems on the offensive line for the Giants, as left tackle Will Beatty has been ruled out for Monday night's game in New Orleans and right tackle Kareem McKenzie missed Thursday's practice with a toe injury. Also sitting out practice Thursday were running back Ahmad Bradshaw and linebacker Michael Boley. They all have an extra day to get ready this week, but it's been quite a while since Bradshaw practiced and it's hard to see how he could be ready in such a short period of time.

It was an extra-special Thanksgiving in the home of Giants defensive end Dave Tollefson, whose wife nearly died from a complication during pregnancy earlier this year. Ohm Youngmisuk has the Tollefson's story.

Philadelphia Eagles

Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha injured his knee in practice Thursday and left on a cart. And while fellow corner Joselio Hanson said he was told it wasn't that bad an injury and Asomugha could return to practice today, the Eagles said they needed to do further evaluation. If Asomugha is out for Sunday's game against the Patriots, you're going to see a lot of Hanson and a lot more than you've seen so far of Brandon Hughes and Curtis Marsh. With Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie also out due to injury, Asante Samuel -- the guy everybody wanted to trade -- is the only healthy starter remaining.

Sheil Kapadia looked at what needs to happen for the Eagles to pull off a miracle and make the playoffs. Basically, a wild-card berth is nearly impossible and they were really hoping Dan Bailey would miss that kick Thursday night.

Washington Redskins

Left tackle Trent Williams has apparently avoided a serious knee injury and says he thinks he could be ready to play Sunday in Seattle. Good news for the Skins if he can, since the line was an absolute mess when the 2010 first-rounder had to sit out earlier in the year.

Your team isn't having a great year when your punter is a candidate for team MVP. But Sav Rocca has been one of the most reliable Redskins performers this season, as Rich Campbell writes.

I had to check this a few times after I saw it, but it turns out Sunday's overtime victory was the 10th fourth-quarter comeback of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo's career. Based on everything I heard and read about Romo a week ago after he gave away that Jets game, I was pretty sure he'd never completed a fourth-quarter pass.

Oh, but the tune is different now that Romo came out of the locker room with a broken rib and went an unbelievable 12-for-15 for 201 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime to lead the Cowboys to victory over the 49ers. Now, it's about Tony the tough guy, and about the burnishing of a legacy that needed some serious shining up after last week.

For some reason, when it comes to perceptions of Romo, everything has to be an extreme. He's either incredibly good or incredibly useless, sometimes within the course of the same game. The fact, which is backed up by the numbers, is that he's an outstanding quarterback who hasn't yet delivered a championship and whose biggest flops have come under some very bright spotlights. A supremely accurate passer who's thrown a couple of dumb interceptions at bad times and once fumbled a critical field goal snap in a playoff game.

Romo is unduly harangued for his mistakes, so it probably makes sense that those who do that haranguing would also gush over his triumphs. He was incredible Sunday. He was also incredible for the first three quarters of last Sunday's game. The difference here is that they won this one. If they lose to the Redskins next Monday night at home, I'm guessing the grittiness of this performance will fade from memory amid renewed cries that the guy's a bum. It'd be nice if everybody could relax, but that's not the time in which we live. Romo plays under intense scrutiny, and he will until he delivers that championship. Meantime, life's a roller coaster for Romo and the Cowboys, and Sunday was one of the highs.

You know what never gets too high or too low? What always keeps things in the proper perspective? Yeah, that's right. The links.

More Cowboys

I'm going to say this game was a lot bigger for Dan Bailey than it was for Tony Romo, who already knew he could play in the NFL. After missing that 21-yarder early in the game, Bailey drilled the game-tying kick from 48 and the winning chip-shot in overtime. Anything that helps the Cowboys' confidence in their kicking game has to be a welcome relief at Valley Ranch.

The Cowboys' defense locked things down in the second half, writes Carlos Mendez, whose notebook also includes injury updates on Miles Austin, Felix Jones and Phil Costa. Yikes, the Cowboys have a lot of injuries.

New York Giants

As former Giants receiver Steve Smith becomes more and more a part of the offensive game plan for the Eagles, the Giants continue to search for his replacement as their reliable slot receiver, Ian Begley writes. It looks as though Brandon Stokley, signed just last week, will get a chance to show what he can do in that role tonight against the Rams.

Mike Garafolo has a look at Giants defensive end Dave Tollefson, who's been getting more playing time lately thanks to injuries to Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora and whose nickname, teammate Chris Canty says, is "White Chocolate." These guys spend a lot of time together, is all I have to say.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are deep at quarterback, as they believe it's wise to be in today's NFL, and so they may have a choice of qualified replacements next week if Michael Vick is out with a concussion. Mike Kafka filled in Sunday night, and Vince Young, the nominal backup, continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury.

Philadelphia is still continuing to build and work on its new defense, which was outstanding for much of the game but gave up too many costly big plays when it counted. The Eagles believe things will get smoother and better on defense as the season goes along. Atlanta was a very tough test, and in a couple of crucial spots, they flunked it.

And last but certainly not least, your first-place ...

Washington Redskins

More important than the two early interceptions he threw was Rex Grossman's ability to recover from them and still lead the Redskins to victory in the clutch, writes Rich Campbell. And he's right, of course. Everybody throws interceptions, and Grossman is one of those guys with whom you seem to sit around waiting for bad things to happen. But he's playing with confidence in this Redskins offense, and the way he played after the interceptions was proof of that. Sure, the Redskins turned to the running game more, but they should have done that anyway. And when Grossman needed to find Fred Davis or Santana Moss or Jabar Gaffney and make a big throw, he made it. More good than bad so far in this young season from Grossman, to be sure.

When Tim Hightower got tired after 15 first-half carries, Roy Helu proved more than capable of filling in and picking up critical yards for the Redskins. Washington's depth at running back is impressive, especially when you consider that they didn't even use Ryan Torain, who at one point last year was their starter.

One more game remains in the NFC East, of course, and I'll be there tonight to check out the Giants. Next week, I see all four teams!

Dallas Cowboys

ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins takes a look at one of the deepest position groups in the upcoming draft: the defensive line.

The team signed linebacker Isaiah Greenhouse to its reserve/future list Tuesday.

The Cowboys offered tenders to four players Tuesday: Defensive ends Stephen Bowen and Jason Hatcher, safety Alan Ball, and left tackle Doug Free. Watkins weighs in on what it all means.

New York Giants

Ahmad Bradshaw, Barry Cofield, Kevin Boss, Steve Smith and Dave Tollefson received second-round tenders from the Giants Tuesday. Mathias Kiwanuka reportedly received a first-round qualifying offer.

Center Shaun O'Hara said he wouldn't want the NFL's owners and the NFLPA to reach an agreement on a new CBA this week because "that would be a bad deal for us."

Philadelphia Eagles

Michael Vick will sign his franchise tender from the Eagles on Wednesday, which will be worth more than $16 million next season.

Brandon Graham said at least two of his Eagles teammates have asked him for substantial loans to get through the lockout.

Washington Redskins

The Redskins have released linebacker Andre Carter and guard Derrick Dockery.

The team appears prepared to bring back Albert Haynesworth for another season.

The New York Giants included starting cornerback Corey Webster (rib, knee) on their inactive list Sunday, which means that Aaron Ross will start opposite Terrell Thomas. The move isn't a surprise since Webster wasn't able to practice this week. Michael Coe probably becomes the Giants' third cornerback for the game in Washington.

Here are the rest of the inactives, courtesy of ESPNNewYork.com's Ohm Youngmisuk: TE Jake Ballard, C Shaun O'Hara, G Mitch Petrus, DE Dave Tollefson, OL Jamon Meredith, WR Duke Calhoun and WR Hakeem Nicks.